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Challenger in buckets

20 some years ago a guy gave me a Green Challenger that he was going to restore. He took it ALL apart and was going to rebore it new pistons, ring, bearing and do a complete restoration on it. He did a very good job of taking it apart and put most like parts in the same bucket or box. It sat in a shed for years like this until one day he asked me to come get it because he was never going to fix it. I brought it home in the back of a pickup except for the rear end and wheels as he had not taken that part apart. I cleaned stuff up and sandblasted a lot of it and primmed it and piled it in a corner. I new I was going to have to come up with pistons and sleeves as well as bearings. I pulled the motor and took what was left apart. 
Now my family use to be a Massey dealer and when the old Challenger parts were obsolete we took them and piled them in a shed to make room for newer parts in the bins. I have dug through this pile many times looking for parts for my 12/20 and 20/30 and came up with a few. But most of the stuff I had no idea what it was until I needed something and then I matched the parts up. Well one day I saw this box at the back of the pile and opened it and low and behold there was a new set of main and rod bearings. How lucky could I be. So I took the crank and had it polished and installed the main bearings. I wanted to run them in a bit as it is easier to adjust them outside of the frame than inside through those holes. I had the motor in a heavy motor stand so I made an adapter to fit where the flywheel would go and hooked a PTO shaft off a Kewanee elevator to it and another tractor. I ran it oiling the bearings until after a few adjustments I was satisfied. Then the tractor sat for a few years as I looked for parts and decided what to do about the pistons. 
My son bought a 44 last year and wanted to pull the engine to do some work on it. I had the engine stand tied up so he wanted me to get the motor out of it. I was looking in the parts pile again and I saw this big box back in the corner so I opened it to see what it was. 4 pistons and sleeves! I quickly measured them and low and behold they were for a Challenger. So now I had everything I needed to get the motor done and back in the frame. I worked every night and weekends and got it done so he could have the motor stand. I put the engine back on the PTO shaft and ran it in for a couple hours while I stood there and oiled it. It is still a little tight but I think it is more ring drag than bearings as I have good clearence on all the bearings.
Now the big question what do I do with all these parts laying around that I have no idea where they go. I looked at pictures I took, I looked in the service manual , and the parts book and little by little I figured it out. The brakes were the hard part and took the most time to figure out. All but one part was there and I made it as well as some other parts that were rusted beyond repair. It's bad enough to put something back together that you took apart 20 year ago but to put something back together that someone else took apart that is a whole nother story. I finished up all the non motor parts today and now have a tractor that looks like a tractor instead of a parts pile. I will start on the motor parts next like the mag drive govenor carb waterpump etc. I have to get the head rebuilt and will need some valves. I found a few but still need more. I understand some valves out of a John Deere will fit but I am not sure I can put JD parts in my Massey. The tank on the radiator is gone and the front wheels are rusted away. The tractor had rubber on it and I found some rear steel a few years ago but never found the the front. I guess I will have to get them made. I am not sure I will get it done this year as it is a lot of $$$ to layout for radiator, wheels and head job. We will see, maybe if I look long enough I will find a radiator in that parts pile. 
I wish I had taken pictures of it when I brought it home and I will take some as I complete the restoration. Here are a few now and the video of it hooked to a tractor turning over. 

Ok so I don't know how to put a video on here maybe I will figure it out later.

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RE:Challenger in buckets

I worked on it some more today and finished the rear part of the tractor. Still looking for the rear seat bracket if anyone has one.

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RE:Challenger in buckets

Dan,

I love reading your story about your Challenger! It seems fate is coming together for you and your tractor... If you get a hold of Dennis Brown I am sure he has some spare parts for Challengers you may pry away from him and he is not too far from you.

For posting a video you have to first save it to youtube then copy and paste the link to your posting. If you do it once you paste the link into your post you have to hit the space bar a couple times so it will turn blue and underline the link so it works to just click on it in your post.

Joe

RE:Challenger in buckets

Thanks Joe I will give it a try.
 
https://  www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyJDMY60_oc&feature=em-upload_owner       

I can't get it to turn blue but you can copy and paste.

RE:Challenger in buckets

Dan,

I got it to work for you, It needed to have a space or two between the https://  and the www so it will work now.

Joe

RE:Challenger in buckets

Thank you Dan for taking the time to document the back ground to your Challenger project, watching your progression makes it so much more interesting hearing the story of how it unfolded over several years.
You are very lucky in finding NOS parts amongst your old inventory, that in itself is very unique today, I am sure you could come up with some good stories of the old Massey dealership to share on here with us, it's a shame when all this great history gets lost with the passing of time, so please keep it coming.
You are making very good progress and I look forward to your up dates as and when you have time, with regard to your steel front wheels, send the hubs to Detwiller's, they did a great job of new spokes and rimming the ones I have on my red CH, they do a very professional job.

Malcolm.


RE:Challenger in buckets

I have been working on it when I have time. Trying to get two tractors overhauled for the farm before spring so not a lot of time. I am rebuilding the Kingston governor and putting new bushings in the mag drive. I have all the bushings and seals I just need some time to put it back together. The next project is the cly head $$$$. The guides are wore and the valves need to be replaced. I need to dig around some more as I have found a few guides in one of the sheds and if I look long enough I might find some valves.
I am depleating my spare parts big time. I have a red challenger I would like to do but fear I won't have any parts left to do it. 
After the cly head I need to make new tanks for the radiator, I did that once for my 20/30 and it was a big job. I am not looking forward to doing it again. Plus it is not cheap to do.
Oh well if God wanted me to have any money he should not have let me started to collect old farm tractors. 

RE:Challenger in buckets

I got to work on it a little bit more this weekend. I rebuilt the govenor and found out the control lever had been broken off. It is part number 13820 if anybody has a spare one. This is what it looks like.

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RE:Challenger in buckets

Dan,

Hope Dennis Brown, Joe or someone can help you your side of the pond to locate a lever, if all avenues fail I can possibly help you out from my "Massey Parts Department"
Sounds like your making steady progress on your CH

Malcolm.

RE:Challenger in buckets

Dan P  
I,ve one of those gov. arms if you have not found one yet. I don,t seem to get on here much lately !!! too much going on . Give me a call  works best 319-240 2766. I did see your photos of plowing by Wayland Mo  I was just to Wayland about 3 weeks ago . talk to you later Dennis